Medicinal Macrofungi as Cosmeceuticals: A Review

Abstract

Macrofungi (mushrooms) have been previously studied for their nutritional value and medicinal properties. However, there is still slow progress in the biotechnological application of macrofungi in cosmetic industry as cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics. Currently, the cosmetic industry is in a constant search for valuable natural ingredients or extracts with relevant bioactive properties (anti-aging, anti-collagenase, anti-elastase, anti-hyaluronidase, antipigmentation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase) to design formulations. Edible medicinal mushrooms are unlimited source of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. They can be used as a source of ingredients to develop organic cosmeceuticals, nutriceuticals and nutracosmetics for topical and oral administration.

The contribution of fungi to the global economy

“…Fungi have long been explored due to their medicinal value (De Silva et al 2013;Hyde et al 2019;Badalyan and Rapior 2021) and many fungal products are produced as nutraceuticals, including cosmeceuticals (Bandara et al 2015;Badalyan et al 2022). Nutraceuticals are a group of products from edible sources, proven to be safe for consumption and can be considered a supplement to effective pharmacological treatment (Niego et al 2021).…”

“…Fungi synthesize natural active biomolecules that can be applied to develop cosmetic products due to their important biological functions and applications such as antiaging, antioxidants, skin revitalization, skin whitening, and hair products (Hyde et al 2010;Wu et al 2016;Badalyan et al 2022). Numerous bioactive metabolites such as polysaccharides and glycoproteins, as well as other metabolites such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and several lipid components, have been explored due to their functions in skin health (Usman et al 2021).…”

“…They can be instrumental in improving resource efficiency as renewable substitutes for fossil resources. Moreover, they can be valuable sources of food, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and minerals (Ślusarczyk et al 2021;Badalyan et al 2022). They produce manifold bioactive compounds with medicinal, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications (Hyde et al 2019;Niego et al 2021;Galappaththi et al 2022).…”

Extraction, Purification, and Structural Characterization of Polysaccharides from Sanghuangporus vaninii with Anti-Inflammatory Activity

“…Many species of medicinal fungi have been used as foods, medicines, and nutraceuticals for more than 2000 years [ 18 ]. S. vaninii is recognized for its medicinal properties and is used to treat various diseases in Asia.…”

“…In recent years, natural medicinal fungi have been used in the fields of drugs and nutraceuticals due to their biological activity [ 18 ]. Polysaccharides, as one of the most important active components in medicinal fungi, have received widespread attention.…”